Studio of Artus Wolfforts (Flemish1581-1641)The Adoration of the ShepherdsOil on canvas202 x 233cm (79½ x 91½ in.)Provenance:Berwick House, Shropshire Early in his career Artus Wolfforts was influenced by the classical style of Otto van Veen However, the work offered here is more typical of the artist's later painting which adopted a more dynamic Baroque style, influence by Rubens. It has therefore been suggested that this work can be dated to around c.1630.Wolfforts was an accomplished Flemish artist known for his history paintings which depicted religious and mythological scenes. Most of his works were painted as private commissions and, as is the case here, depict large life-sized figures of Christ and stories from the Bible.Upon completion of his training in 1615, the artist returned to Antwerp where he worked as an assistant in the workshop of Otto van Veen an artist who included Rubens among his past pupils.Wolfforts himself would go on to work with Rubens in 1635, as one of the artists employed to work on the decorations for the Joyus Entry into Antwerp of the new governor of the Habsburg Netherland, Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand. Whilst Rubens was in overall charge of the project, Wolfforts was responsible for producing decorative paintings after Rubens' designs.After becoming a member of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1617, Wolfforts operated his own large workshop. During his career, it was not uncommon for several variant works to be produced from one common composition, as is likely to be the case with The Adoration of the Shepherds. Indeed, the present lot can be compared with an altarpiece by Wolfforts in the church of St. Lawrence in Oostamalle near Antwerp (see Hans Vlieghe, Wolffort in the Wallraf-Richartz-Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte, 1977, p. 116, fig. 41), a copy of which can also be seen in Leuven Museum.Despite being a prolific artist during his own lifetime, with pupils including Pieter van Mol Pieter van Lint, and his son, Jan Baptist, Wolfforts' and his work appear to have been forgotten and until the late 1970s many of his paintings were listed as early works by Rubens. Gradually, his oeuvre has been reconstructed using the fully signed copy of a work titled Esther's Toilet in the Harem of Ahasuerus, in the V&A museum, London (Accession No. DYCE.10). We are grateful to Dr Hans Vlieghe for his assistance with cataloguing this lot.
Studio of Artus Wolfforts (Flemish1581-1641)The Adoration of the ShepherdsOil on canvas202 x 233cm (79½ x 91½ in.)Provenance:Berwick House, Shropshire Early in his career Artus Wolfforts was influenced by the classical style of Otto van Veen However, the work offered here is more typical of the artist's later painting which adopted a more dynamic Baroque style, influence by Rubens. It has therefore been suggested that this work can be dated to around c.1630.Wolfforts was an accomplished Flemish artist known for his history paintings which depicted religious and mythological scenes. Most of his works were painted as private commissions and, as is the case here, depict large life-sized figures of Christ and stories from the Bible.Upon completion of his training in 1615, the artist returned to Antwerp where he worked as an assistant in the workshop of Otto van Veen an artist who included Rubens among his past pupils.Wolfforts himself would go on to work with Rubens in 1635, as one of the artists employed to work on the decorations for the Joyus Entry into Antwerp of the new governor of the Habsburg Netherland, Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand. Whilst Rubens was in overall charge of the project, Wolfforts was responsible for producing decorative paintings after Rubens' designs.After becoming a member of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1617, Wolfforts operated his own large workshop. During his career, it was not uncommon for several variant works to be produced from one common composition, as is likely to be the case with The Adoration of the Shepherds. Indeed, the present lot can be compared with an altarpiece by Wolfforts in the church of St. Lawrence in Oostamalle near Antwerp (see Hans Vlieghe, Wolffort in the Wallraf-Richartz-Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte, 1977, p. 116, fig. 41), a copy of which can also be seen in Leuven Museum.Despite being a prolific artist during his own lifetime, with pupils including Pieter van Mol Pieter van Lint, and his son, Jan Baptist, Wolfforts' and his work appear to have been forgotten and until the late 1970s many of his paintings were listed as early works by Rubens. Gradually, his oeuvre has been reconstructed using the fully signed copy of a work titled Esther's Toilet in the Harem of Ahasuerus, in the V&A museum, London (Accession No. DYCE.10). We are grateful to Dr Hans Vlieghe for his assistance with cataloguing this lot.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
